Of Microwaves and Dodgeballs
by PhoenixRisingOnTheMoon
Summary: Emma's goals for her new teaching position: -make friends: check; -teach kids about physical education: check; -make a difference in at least one kid's life: check; -run into an angry woman's car and have her hate you but then fall for her anyway: check?


A/N: this was supposed to be soooo much longer (like a multichap fic) but then I decided to forgo that and just make it into a oneshot for SQW so #whoops hope it still makes sense! thanks for sticking with me through SQW!

* * *

Emma hummed along to the song on the radio as she drove down the pothole-filled road. It was her first day of teaching at Storybrooke High. While she was excited to finally be out of the elementary school from hell in Massachusetts, she was also nervous about adjusting to the small town life in Maine.

She saw the sign for the school up ahead and flicked on her turn signal. Just because she lived in Massachusetts for a year did not mean she adopted their horrendous driving skills (or lack thereof).

The road cleared and she turned into the driveway of the school, quickly locating the teacher parking lot. She found an open spot and pulled in, but noticed she was a little close to the white line on her side. She switched gears and slowly backed out, not seeing the black car trying to pass by until it was too late.

There was a slight crunch and a horn blasted, jolting Emma and causing her to slam on the brakes. She heard a car door slam and tentatively opened her own door.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

Emma was startled by the abrasiveness of the voice, but put on a defensive face anyway. She grew up learning that if you didn't fight back you'd get taken advantage of. "Trying to correct my parking job," she said as she turned and faced her accuser.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair stood by the tail end of Emma's car, a furious expression on her face. A vein in her forehead was twitching but all Emma could focus on was the scar on her lip.

"Did they not teach you how to _look_ before you back up in Massachusetts?" she asked, gesturing to the license plate that Emma still had yet to change. "Flatlander," she muttered.

Emma took two strides towards her, getting within a foot of the woman. She looked down and noticed that her bug had a minuscule dent on the bumper, and her car— her _Mercedes_ — didn't even have a scratch.

"Look, your car isn't even damaged, lady," Emma pointed out.

"Rightfully so," the woman replied, offset as she realized Emma was right. "Watch where you're going next time."

"Yes, ma'am," Emma muttered sarcastically. The woman quickly got back into her car and drove off.

Emma took a moment to herself before hopping back in the bug and resuming her task of correcting her parking, making sure to check her back bumper again before walking into the school.

-—-

"If you continue down that hallway you'll find the math classrooms, and then over that way are all of the science classrooms…"

Emma's eyes followed where Principal Kathryn Nolan was pointing, taking in the size of the school. It was a lot smaller than the three she had attended.

Kathryn led them down a small staircase before opening a set of double doors. "And here's your classroom!" She led them through the gymnasium and toward's a side room that had a glass window between it and the gym. "That room there is Mr. Hood's office, and yours…" She pointed down the wall towards the other set of double doors. "…is over there. Any questions?"

Emma shook her head. "I think I got it. Anything I need specifically related to P.E. can be answered by Mr. Hood, right?"

"Definitely," Kathryn answered. "I am, unfortunately, a little rusty on my P.E. knowledge." She smiled comfortingly. "I'll leave you to him, then! Enjoy your first day here, Miss Swan."

"Thanks," Emma said, watching the blonde walk away for a moment before heading over to the athletic director's office.

The door was already open so she wrapped her knuckles on the door frame to alert the man at the desk to her presence.

"Hello! You must be Emma Swan," he said with a smile, standing up and offering his hand.

Emma shook it and smiled back. "Yeah, that's me."

Robin looked down at his desk, searching it with his eyes for a moment before locating a folder. "This is all the information you'll need for the first few weeks here. You should be settled in by then. It's not too difficult of a place."

"Thanks," Emma said as she took the folder, heading back to her office to prepare for the first class of the day.

-—-

"Everything going smoothly?" Robin asked as her fifth period class exited.

Emma smiled. "Yeah, so far so good." And she meant it. He'd been right when he said it wasn't a very difficult place.

At that moment a man walked into the room wearing a police uniform with a taser and walkie talkie strapped to his belt. He bellowed out from across the gym.

"Robin! Lu—Oh, sorry, am I interrupting?" the man said, walking up to them.

"You're fine, Graham," Robin said. He gestured to Emma. "Graham, this is Emma Swan, the new P.E. instructor. Miss Swan, this is Graham Humbert, our behavioral resource officer."

"Pleasure to meet you," Graham said. He turned to Robin. "Lunch?"

Robin shook his head. "Not today. I have to supervise a detention for an athlete."

Graham frowned. "Damn." He turned to Emma. "Lunch?"

Emma opened her mouth with surprise. "Uh— yeah, sure." She turned to Robin. "I'll be back for sixth period, then."

"Don't listen to everything he says," Robin warned with a teasing grin sent towards Graham.

"I'll try not to."

-—-

"First thing's first, rookie-" Graham said as they sat down.

Emma glared. "Don't call me that."

Graham gave a short laugh. He then pointed at her sandwich. "PB&J, I'm guessing?" Emma nodded. "You're going to get real sick of those real fast. After a month of PB&Js, you're never going to want to look at a jar of peanut butter ever again, so quit while you're ahead."

"But this is all I know how to make…" Emma muttered, looking at her lunch disdainfully.

"Take cooking classes, then. Or switch up sandwich types every day. You could have ham and cheese, salami and cheese, fluffernutter, bacon and eggs… the possibilities are endless— well, nearly endless." He took out his own meal of leftover pasta and started digging in. "Second thing— if you're going to work here, you're going to need to know the ins and outs for both students _and_ staff. The 'do's and the 'don't's. "

"Well I already crossed the 'don't' line with one lady today," Emma grumbled.

Graham gave her a look. " _Already_?" He laughed. "As long as it wasn't Regina Mills' bad side you got on, you'll be fine. Everyone else is pretty good with the concept of forgive and forget. Regina, though… she holds grudges." He cleared his throat and pointed at a short, bearded man sitting by himself at the corner table, glaring around the room. "See that man over there?"

"Yeah…"

"That's Leroy. He's the janitor. Bit of a grumpy man, but he'll also stick up for you in times of trouble, especially if you stay on his good side."

Emma watched as another teacher nearly fled after getting stared down by the grumpy janitor. "How do you even get on his good side?"

"Alcohol," Graham stated bluntly. "A group of us go out to drinks every other Friday. You should join us some time."

"I'll consider it," Emma said. It would be good for her to make some friends here.

"See that girl over there by the window reading?" Graham asked, pointing to a woman a few feet from Leroy's spot. "That's Belle. She's the librarian. Quiet lass, she is. She has a twin, Lacey, who works at the bar we go to on Fridays. Lacey is nothing like her sister, though. She's all fiery temper and she has a great ass and is… sexy as hell."

Emma snorted. "Typical male," she muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Graham asked.

Emma shrugged. "I'm just saying— males are always focused on the sexual, physical aspects of females. It's never about their interests and hobbies, or favorite color, or anything like that. It's always about pretty faces and big tits and asses."

Graham looked almost offended. "Hey, not all men—"

"Cut it there, _Officer_ ," Emma warned. "It's that kind of attitude that would make sure you never get into bed with a girl like Lacey."

"That's not the only thing keeping me from her bed," Graham muttered, though the corners of his mouth twitched upward into an almost smirk. Emma gave him a look. "There's actually a good story behind how we all found out about it. I'll have to tell you sometime."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Graham—"

"She's gay," Graham interrupted.

It was Emma's turn to smirk now. "Well one of us has a chance, then."

Graham turned to her with a puzzled expression. "Are you…?"

Emma nodded. "Yep. Gay as a flaming unicorn on a rainbow." She smirked again. "There's a funny story behind how I realized that. I'll have to tell you sometime," she said, echoing his earlier words.

"Funny story behind what?" a new voice asked as two lunch bags were set down on the table across from Emma and Graham.

Emma looked up at the new visitors. The woman who had spoken had long, straight brown hair with a red streak in it. Emma was jealous of how well the woman pulled off the bright red lipstick she was wearing to match the hair. Next to her was a petite brunette with a pixie cut.

"Ruby," the woman with the red streak said, flashing a bright smile and sticking her hand out. "Ruby Lucas," she finished as Emma shook her hand. Ruby jutted a finger at the petite brunette next to her. "I'm her student teacher."

"Mary Margaret Blanchard," the other woman greeted. "I teach the home economics classes. You must be the new P.E. teacher!"

"Emma Swan," Emma replied with a nod. "It's good to meet you guys."

"Same," Ruby replied with a genuine smile. "So, what's the funny story you were just talking about?" she asked as she took out her lunch.

Emma shrugged nonchalantly as she took another bite of her sandwich. "The story of me coming out."

Ruby's grin widened. "Ooh, do tell."

Just as Emma opened up her mouth to talk, the door to the faculty lounge opened and silence descended on the room. Emma's eyes widened as green eyes met brown: It was the woman whose car she hit. She gave Emma a stone cold glare before turning and walking towards the microwave.

Conversations started up once more. Ruby leaned forward. "I heard some sucker hit her car this morning in the parking lot," she said in a fashion that reminded Emma a little too much of high school gossip. "I feel bad for whoever did it."

Graham noticed Emma's sheepish face. "Your incident this morning didn't involve her, did it?"

Emma nodded somewhat shyly. "It may have been me…" Three pairs of eyes widened at the table. "But it was an accident! Besides, my car was the only one hurt!" She looked over at the brunette whose back was still turned away. "Who is she, anyway?"

Graham looked over and smiled. "That's Regina Mills."

"You mean… the woman you said holds grudges?"

Graham gave a short laugh. "Oh yeah. She teaches the business classes and AP Statistics. She's feared by teachers and students alike," he said with a laugh.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Except you, I take it?"

"Yep," Graham affirmed with a cocky grin.

"Graham's never really been afraid of Regina," Ruby said with a sly smile. "But then again, it's hard to be afraid of someone after you sleep with them a few dozen times."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you two… together?"

Graham blushed slightly and shook his head. "No." He took a bite of his food and swallowed. "Not anymore, at least. We had a little… fling… when I first started working here a couple of years ago. It ended midway through the last school year."

"Why'd you end it?"

"She realized she—" He stopped abruptly. "I'm not actually sure I'm allowed to share that…"

"What?" Emma asked curiously.

"No, I can't."

"Who am I going to tell? I'm the new girl. You guys are the only ones I really know!" Emma insisted. Graham shook his head.

Now Ruby and Mary Margaret were curious, too. "You can't just start saying something and then take it back!" Ruby exclaimed.

Graham gave her a look. "I shouldn't have even _started_ telling you guys. Just… let it go."

"Does she have an STD?" Emma guessed.

Graham choked on his drink. "What? No!"

"Is she dying?" Mary Margaret asked quietly, her eyes big with worry.

"No! Guys—"

"Is she secretly married?"

"Ruby, I swear to—" Graham stopped and rubbed his face with his hand. "It's not bad, I promise. But it's not my place to tell. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you. Okay?"

"Fine," Ruby grumbled. She poked at her meatloaf, which looked less than edible. "I'm going to see if Granny will make me something good to eat," she announced, standing up and packing up her stuff. "I'll see you back in the room next period," she told Mary Margaret. "It was nice to meet you, Emma!" she flashed a dazzling smile at the blonde. "Bye!"

"Bye," the other three echoed as the tall brunette walked out the door.

"Who's Granny?" Emma asked.

"The head cook," Mary Margaret said, "and, coincidentally, Ruby's grandmother. Everyone calls her Granny, though. She makes really good lasagna on Fridays. You should try it some time." She looked at the clock started packing up her stuff. "I almost forgot— I have to go and meet with a student before lunch ends. I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, sure," Emma said, waving to her as she left. She turned to Graham. "They seem friendly enough."

"They're a couple of good people," Graham agreed. "Ruby gets a little carried away with gossip sometimes and Mary Margaret thinks she's a saint and can't keep a secret to save a life, but overall they're good."

They ate the rest of their lunch in silence. It was when they were headed out the door that the silence was disrupted.

"Officer Humbert!" a student called out as she burst through the door. "There's a fight in B hallway—"

Graham nodded. "On it," he said, jogging towards the hallway. Emma noticed the rest of the teachers seemed to be following him, so she went along as well.

When she got there, Graham had already pried one boy away and was holding him away from whomever he was attacking. Emma noticed the boy was rather small for a high schooler.

Kathryn pushed through the crowd and sighed at the sight of the small boy. "I thought we went over this—"

"Henry?" a new voice interjected. Emma saw Regina step up beside Kathryn and move towards the small boy. She touched his face in a manner that seemed a little too familiar for a teacher.

The small boy, Henry, pushed her hands away. "Get off me!" He backed away from her with a glare that could rival Leroy's, but not quite rival Regina's. Emma noticed a hurt look flash across Regina's face.

Meanwhile, Kathryn had helped the other boy stand. Emma noticed he had a bloodied lip and his eye was bruising.

Kathryn gestured with my hand. "To my office, boys."

Graham went with Kathryn and the boys, keeping himself near Henry. The bell rang and the rest of the crowd dispersed, with some students grumbling about how the fight ended too quickly and others recounting the event with excitement. The hallway had cleared except for Emma and Regina, who still had a hurt look on her face.

Emma slowly walked up to her. "Hey, you okay? Do you… want to talk?" she offered, unsure of what to say to the woman who clearly was upset but also clearly disliked (or maybe even hated) Emma.

Regina looked up and, for a brief moment, Emma saw anguish in her eyes, but the look was soon replaced with Regina's usual hard glare. "You should go supervise your class, Miss Swan," she said, pushing past Emma and leaving her alone in the hallway.

-—-

"You are free to go see Mr. Whale, Nicholas," Kathryn said. The boy nodded and held a hand tentatively to his tender, still bleeding lip as he left her office. Kathryn turned her attention to the other boy seated across from her. "Henry… it's the _first_ day of school. Last year you promised-"

The boy let his guard down and heaved a big sigh. "I _know_ I promised I wouldn't fight. But… I couldn't help it. Nicholas—"

"It doesn't matter what Nicholas did, lad," Graham interrupted. "You shouldn't have resorted to fighting like you did. Your mother—"

"I don't _care_ about my mother," Henry snarled.

"Don't say that, Henry," Kathryn chastised. She hated hearing him talk about her best friend like that. "She loves you—"

"No she doesn't!" Henry interjected. "She doesn't care about _anything_! Have you ever even seen her love something? It's not possible!"

"Yes it is, Henry," Kathryn said softly. "I've known your mother for a long time. She loved your father very much. And she has loved you since before you were even born, and she will continue to love you for as long as she lives."

Henry shifted in his seat. "No she won't. I'm only a disappointment to her. She said it herself," he muttered.

"She didn't say you were a disappointment. She said she was disappointed in your actions," Graham said, "and you know it was because you got into another fight right after the incident with August."

Henry become somber at the mention of the other boy. "It was an accident…"

"It doesn't matter, Henry. You can't keep doing this," Kathryn said softly. She went over to a file cabinet and pulled out a rather thick manila folder and placed it on her desk. She flipped through until she found the page she was looking for and gave a soft sigh. "This is your fifth fight in the past _year_ , Henry. I don't know how to convince you to stop. I've given you detentions, in school suspensions, out of school suspensions… the next step is expulsion, Henry. I technically should've already expelled you, but I didn't because I _know_ you're a good student. I know you can do better." She sighed again. "I'll let you off with a two week suspension Henry. But I will warn you— if I see you in my office again for another fight, I will have no choice but to expel you."

"Yes, Principal Midas," Henry said softly.

"I also want you to stop by Hopper's office twice a week and talk to him. Maybe he can help you sort through… everything." She exchanged a look with Henry and he understood what she meant.

"Okay," he replied in the same soft voice.

"Okay," she replied with a small smile. "You can go to your afternoon classes, but I want you back in my office at 3:00 when the bell rings. I'll need to talk with you and your mother."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," he huffed as he stood up and walked out.

As soon as the door shut, Graham released a deep breath. "Regina's going to be furious."

"She has a right to be," Kathryn said, running a hand through her hair. "God this is all just so…"

"Fucked up?" Graham offered with a short laugh. "It definitely is. At least Nicholas is okay. Henry might be in worse shape than he is— emotionally, that is."

"And Regina's not going to be much better at this point," Kathryn said sadly.

"Do you want me here after school for the lad and Regina?"

Kathryn nodded. "It might be for the best." She swiveled in her chair, facing him directly. Her phone started to ring, and Graham took that as his sign to leave. "I'll see you at three."

-—-

The last school bell of the day rang and Emma put all of the equipment back into the storage locker. She had just tucked in the last basketball when she realized it was 3:28 and she had a follow up meeting with the principal at 3:30.

She rushed through the halls to the office. As she rounded the corner to the entrance to the front office section, she saw the boy from earlier— Henry— rushing out of the room and slamming the front doors open, stomping through as he left the building.

Emma continued into the front office, noting that the principal's office door was open, and Regina was sitting in a chair in front of Kathryn's desk, slumped over with her head in her hands. Graham was standing by and had a hand on her shoulder. He glanced over and noticed Emma, his eyes widening as he quickly murmured something to the other two women in the room. Regina sat up rigidly before standing and smoothing down her dress. Kathryn stood and placed a hand comfortingly on Regina's arm as she said something. Regina nodded stiffly before running her hands down her dress and turning quickly on her heel.

"Hey," Emma said weakly as Regina passed.

"Miss Swan," she greeted stoically without looking at her as she passed by. Emma noted the puffy eyes and red cheeks, but said nothing, instead turning back towards Kathryn's office.

Graham gave her a kind nod and an uncomfortable smile as she walked in. "Emma." He looked back at Kathryn, who was still standing by the chair Regina had just vacated. "Tomorrow, then?"

Kathryn nodded, and Graham exited, closing the door behind him. "Please, have a seat," Kathryn said, gesturing towards the chair.

Emma did so, shifting uncomfortably as Kathryn stood there for a moment longer, releasing a deep breath before walking behind her desk and taking a seat.

"So," Kathryn said as she settled back down. "How was your first day?"

-—-

It had been a month since her first day and Emma was loving her new job. The kids were great, her coworkers were fun— well, _most_ of her coworkers were fun. Regina still wouldn't spare her even a passing glance.

Emma didn't mind, though. She was happy to have friends to sit with at lunch, to go out to the bar with on Friday nights, and to… listen to them complain about their love life.

"I'm telling you, I did everything right," Graham said. "I held the door open for her, I bought her flowers, I paid for the meal, I walked her to her door— we kissed! Why won't she text me back?" He plopped his head onto his hand, moping as he moved his food around with his fork with his other hand.

Emma scoffed at him. "Get a grip, Graham," she said as she unwrapped her sandwich—a BLT— and picked up one half. "You sound like a teenage girl."

"Did I wait too long to text her?" Graham asked, continuing as if she hadn't said anything. "Three days is the right amount of time… right?"

"Dude, that rule is the dumbest thing ever," Emma said with her mouth half full. "Text her when you want. Don't wait because your dude bros told you to. It makes it seem like you care less if you wait that long."

Graham looked up at her. "It does?" He slumped back in his seat. "Shoot. I guess it _is_ my fault."

Emma shook her head. "I swear, Graham… How in the hell did you manage to work out a relationship with Regina if you can't even text a girl in a timely fashion?"

Graham laughed at that. "You know that's a pretty good question."

"No wonder she dumped you," Emma joked.

"Okay, no, she didn't dump me because of _me_ ," Graham said. "She had her reasons, and while I was technically one of them, I also wasn't."

Emma's forehead creased and she shook her head. "What does that even mean?!"

Before Graham could answer the door to the faculty lounge swung open and the woman in question appeared, marching over regally to the microwave. She stopped as she noticed the sign on it saying that it was broken. Regina huffed and looked down at her tupperware container.

"Shit," Graham murmured. "She doesn't like it when her schedule is disrupted." At Emma's look he added, "She always uses that microwave for her food. Her lasagna's not as good when it's cold."

"I have a microwave in my office that works," Emma said. She glanced back at the brunette. "Should I go offer it?"

Graham shrugged. "It might actually get you on her neutral side."

Emma sat back in her chair. "Or maybe I'll let her suffer like she's let me suffer."

Graham rolled his eyes. "Now who's acting like a teenager?" He glanced behind Emma and gave a wave. "Regina!" He gestured towards them.

"Yes, Officer?" she asked, pointedly not looking at Emma.

"Couldn't help but notice the microwave is having issues," Graham said.

"Your point being?"

Graham looked at Emma, raising an eyebrow at her. She glared back at him. He gave her a look and she sighed, looking up at Regina.

"I have a microwave in my office," Emma said stiffly. "You can use it if you'd like."

Regina seemed surprised by the offer. "Thank you, Miss Swan."

"Door's unlocked," Emma said.

"You keep your office door unlocked when you're not there?"

Aaaand there it was. "Yeah? What are they going to steal? My instruction booklets on thigh stretches?"

Graham snickered at that, and Emma noticed that Regina's face turned a little pink.

"Right," Regina said quietly. She turned and walked out of the lounge without another word.

When Emma got back to her office after lunch, she noticed a little sticky note attached to the microwave.

 _Thank you again, Miss Swan. And don't worry— I didn't steal any 'thigh stretch' booklets from you. At least not today._

-—-

Another two weeks had passed since the microwave incident. The incident that had sparked Emma's imagination into wondering what the hell Regina meant by her note.

She was so distracted in her thoughts she didn't hear the shouts or see the dodgeball coming towards her until it was too late. The ball slammed into the side of her face, knocking her slightly off balance.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Swan!"

Emma rubbed her face and looked over to the apologizer. It was Henry Mills, looking absolutely terrified as he looked at what she could imagine was a very nasty looking welt on the side of her face.

"Great job, dumbass!" another boy in the class said with a smirk. Emma noticed how Henry cringed at the sound of his voice.

"Can it, Peter," Emma responded. The bell rang at that moment. "Alright, guys, get going. I'll be fine. I've had worse," she said with a smile. The class started to disperse. "Henry, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Henry nodded, standing by quietly and ignoring the taunts from Peter as he grabbed his stuff and left. "I'm really sorry, Miss Swan," he said quietly.

"Trust me, Henry, I'm not worried about this," Emma said, gesturing to her face. "Come with me to my office." She led him in there, where she grabbed an ice pack from the freezer before plopping down at her chair. "Take a seat, kid."

He dutifully sat down, his leg jiggling nervously as he stared down at his hands in his lap.

"Are you… having problems, kid?" Emma asked tentatively.

He shook his head. "No. I've never really been that good at sports. My mom tried to get me to play baseball when I was a kid but I couldn't throw straight so I quit—"

"Not with sports," Emma interrupted, briefly imagining stoic Regina playing catch in the yard with a smaller version of Henry. "With Peter."

Henry immediately tensed. "…No. He's just like that to everyone."

"Is he?"

The teen took a breath and shook his head. "He hates me because of my mom. She was failing him and he got kicked off the baseball team freshman year."

"As an athlete, he should know to keep his grades up," Emma pointed out. "And there's no reason to blame you for what is ultimately his fault."

Henry shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here," Emma said sincerely.

"Thanks," he said with a small smile. He glanced at the clock. "Would it be okay if I stayed here for lunch? That's when he usually…"

Emma nodded. "Absolutely. And if he asks, just tell him I gave you detention or something."

He gave her a look that looked too much like Regina. "Would you actually give a kid detention for hitting you with a dodgeball?"

"No," Emma said honestly, "but what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

Henry grinned. "Right."

-—-

Emma was packing up her bag at the end of the day, getting ready to head back to her apartment, when the door to her office flew open with a bang. She jumped a bit and looked up to see Regina standing there with a new and much more fierce form of rage on her face.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

"Going home?" Emma said as she started to feel her defensive stance come up. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Regina slammed her hands on the desk and put her face right up on Emma's. "I have a _problem_ with you giving my son a detention for _no damn reason_."

"No damn reason?" Emma countered. She could tell the truth, but Regina's anger has now added to Emma's own. "He threw a dodgeball at my _head_."

"Maybe if you had paid attention you wouldn't have been hit," the brunette snarled back. "Do your job and this wouldn't happen."

"Why don't _you_ do your job and pay attention to your son for once?"

Regina was taken aback by that comment. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Emma stood back and ran a hand over her face. "Look, he's having a rough time with another student. I just gave him a place where he could get away from it." She looked back over at Regina, her voice softening. "It wasn't a real detention. He's not a bad kid, Regina."

"I know," she said quietly. "He hasn't said anything about… struggling."

Emma looked across at her. "Regina… it's not your fa—"

"I will see you tomorrow, Miss Swan," she interrupted, turning and marching swiftly out the door before Emma could say anything.

-—-

"You told my mom about Peter," Henry muttered in her office two days later.

Emma didn't know how to react to the confrontation. "I… I said what I needed to after she came in and yelled at me for giving you detention. I know it wasn't my place to tell her about your issues—"

"It wasn't," Henry interrupted. "But… I understand why." He pulled out his lunch and started to settle in.

Emma pulled out her own. "Did she talk to you about it?"

"A little," he said. "She doesn't really know what to do. I told her I've been talking to Dr. Hopper about it."

"That's good," Emma said. "That's really good. It's progress."

Henry shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Emma leaned forward and placed her hand on his arm. "She's trying, Henry."

Henry thought about it before giving a small smile. "Yeah, I guess she is."

-—-

"You headed out soon?" Robin asked as he locked up his door.

Emma shook her head as she continued to stretch. "Nah, I figured I'd stick around and use the free weights while I can."

Robin chuckled. "Understandable. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you," Emma said with a brief wave as she bent forward to touch her toes. She looked at the clock and noticed it was already 5:00— most teachers would be gone by now. She shrugged off her shirt, leaving just a sports bra and her spandex pants. No one would be around, anyway, and if there were people there certainly weren't any students.

She finished up her stretching and walked over to the weights, picking one up and beginning her workout. She was just finishing up and putting the equipment away when she heard the clack of heels echoing across the gym floor.

Locking up the weight room, Emma turned and wiped her towel across her face, trying to at least pretend to look presentable as the brunette walked over to her.

"Hey, Regina," she greeted breathlessly.

Regina paused in her steps, drawing her gaze down across Emma's body. Emma started to feel self conscious and wrapped the towel around her shoulders, holding it so her arms blocked off part of her body.

"Miss Swan," Regina finally greeted, her eyes snapping back up to meet Emma's. "What are you still doing here?"

"Working out," Emma said, gesturing to her sweaty and athletic-wear-clad body.

Regina glanced down again, her lips opening minutely. Emma saw the slightest twitch of an eyebrow as Regina's eyes locked onto her abs before looking back up at Emma. "I can see that."

There was an awkward pause. "Did you… need something?" Emma asked uncertainly.

"I was simply wondering if Henry was here," Regina said. "He wasn't in the library, where he usually is after school, and I didn't know if he decided to come and join you again." She shifted uncomfortably. "I can see that he is not, so I will go check… elsewhere."

"Sure," Emma said, not sure what she was agreeing to. "Sorry I couldn't have been more help."

Regina plastered a fake smile on her face. "No worries, Miss Swan. I will see you tomorrow." With that, she turned around sharply and walked out of the gym, leaving Emma to wonder what the hell just happened.

-—-

Emma was sitting at lunch again with Graham, and this time Ruby had joined them.

"Did you hear about Mary-Margaret and David?" Ruby asked with a sly grin.

Graham's eyes widened. "No, what?"

"Wait— who's David?" Emma asked.

Ruby looked around quickly before leaning in. "David's Principal Midas' ex-husband. Their divorce was fine— no harsh feelings on either side— but Leroy said that he overheard Belle telling Archie that she found them messing around in the art closet the other day after hours…"

"No!" Graham whispered in shock.

Ruby nodded. "Oh yeah. Belle's been avoiding them ever since."

The door to the lounge opened up at that moment and Regina strutted in with her usual grace. She looked over and caught eyes with Emma, giving her a small, polite smile before continuing over to the microwave.

"Did she just… did she just smile at you?" Ruby asked.

Emma shrugged. "Yeah, what's the big deal?"

"She never smiles at _anyone_ , unless it's a 'I'm going to destroy your happiness' kind of smile," Ruby said with a glance towards the brunette still standing by the microwave.

Emma snorted. "She's not some… evil queen, you know." She gave another shrug. "She's just… human, like the rest of us."

Ruby raised her eyebrows at that, before her eyes widened and a grin split her face. She let out a laugh before covering her mouth.

"What?" Emma asked, getting insulted on Regina's behalf. "You don't think she has feelings like the rest of us?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Ruby said, shaking her head. She leaned forward. "You totally _like_ her!"

Graham shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearing his throat and looking everywhere but at the two of them.

"I do not!" Emma said. "She's… well, I guess we're… really good acquaintances? Maybe friends?"

" _Girl_ friends," Ruby said with a little cackle. "You guys are totally—"

"Who are girlfriends?" a deep voice asked from behind Emma. She turned to see Regina standing there with her fresh-out-of-the-microwave lunch.

"Uh— nobody," Emma said unconvincingly.

Regina raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that so?"

"Lacey!" Ruby intercepted. "Uh, yeah! Lacey, you know, from the bar? She and Emma are totally like…" She interlocked her fingers. "Tight. Yep. Totally made for each other."

Emma shook her head at the younger woman. "What…?"

"I wasn't aware you were into the fairer sex, Miss Swan," Regina said darkly, her eyes trained on Emma's.

"Are you kidding?" Ruby snorted. "She's as gay as they come."

"Thanks, Rubes," Emma muttered.

"Well," Regina said coolly. "You could do much better than Lacey, my dear." She turned and left the room without another word.

All three of the people sitting at the table stared at the door that she just exited out of.

"Did she just… come on to me?" Emma asked.

Ruby laughed. "Yep." She sighed and went back to her lunch. "You know, if I didn't know Mills better, I'd say she was crushing hard on you."

Emma continued to stare at the door for a moment longer. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Me, too."

-—-

It was Friday night and the bar was slower than usual. Ruby and Graham were finishing up a game of pool at one end, while Emma sat by herself at the bar, nursing the third beer she'd had since they arrived.

"Need anything stronger?"

Emma looked up to see Lacey standing behind the bar, drying off a glass. Emma shook her head. "Nah, not tonight."

"Love problems?" the bartender asked.

"How…?"

Lacey gave a comforting smile. "When you've been bartending as long as I have, you've seen it all."

Emma tilted her head in acknowledgement. She took another sip of her beer. "I'm just… falling for straight girls. You know how it is."

"Oh don't I," Lacey said with a roll of her eyes. "I hate it so much, because by the time you find out there's no way you have a chance… you're already too far gone."

Emma nodded her head in agreement. "Yep." She slumped down a little, resting her head on one of her hands. "I just… she's really pretty? And her son is awesome and I think we could totally have a cute little family…"

Lacey gave a little chuckle. "Yep. You've got it bad." She wiped down the counter next to Emma. "My advice? Distance yourself while you can, before you get too deep."

Emma swirled her drink around, watching the beer rush in circles. "I might already be too deep."

-—-

Emma heard a familiar voice shouting on the other end of the gym. She looked over to see Regina standing tensely in front of Robin. Emma tried to ignore them as she kept cleaning up the equipment left behind from the school day. It became difficult, however, when Regina's voiced raised and started echoing around the gymnasium.

"I have told you on _multiple occasions_ that I am not interested—"

"And you still have _yet_ to give me a reasonable answer!" Robin retorted. "I know your type, Regina. I know of your past relationship with Officer Graham—"

"Which, may I remind you, is none of your business," she snarled back at him.

Robin sighed loudly. "Regina, come on— one date. I'll pay for everything. I promise it'll be the best night—"

"I highly doubt that," Regina interrupted. She took a deep breath and let it out, calming herself down internally. When she spoke again, Emma had to strain to hear her. "Look, if it was a different time in my life, I would probably accept the offer. But since I can guarantee nothing's going to come of it—"

Robin interrupted her this time. "Seriously?" Now his voice was raised. "You basically just admitted we would work together!"

"In the _past_ , yes. _Perhaps_. But not now!"

"Why the hell not?" he yelled.

" _Because I'm gay_!"

Silence descended in the gymnasium. Emma stopped in her tracks and dropped the basketball that was in her hand. The noise grabbed the attentions of the feuding duo at the other end of the gym. Emma watched as Regina's features quickly morphed into something Emma couldn't quite figure out before Regina turned on a heel and marched out of the room.

Robin stood still for a few minutes before retreating into his office, muttering to himself and shaking his head.

Emma stood stunned for a minute before going back to grab the basketball she dropped. She held onto it, staring at the ball but not focusing on it as her thoughts jumbled up in her brain.

 _Gay? As in… likes girls? As in… prefers to be in relationships with girls…_

 _I'm a girl. I like girls. I like Regina, specifically. But do I even stand a chance with her?_

 _Why had she kept it a secret all this time?_

A voice interrupted Emma's thoughts. "Hey, Emma! You ready yet?" Graham came up to Emma and noticed her expression. "You okay?"

Emma lifted her gaze to meet his. "She's… she's _gay_?"

Graham's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. "She told you?"

"Not… exactly…" Emma trailed off. "Wait, how do you know? When were you going to tell me?"

"I told you, it's not my place to tell."

Emma remembered their conversation from her first day. " _That's_ the reason you two broke up?"

Graham nodded. "Yeah. She was wondering why we weren't connecting the way she thought we should have and she realized her sexuality wasn't what she thought it was."

"So she's _gay_ gay?"

Graham sighed. "Yes, Emma, she's _gay_ gay, whatever that means. She likes ladies as much as _I_ like ladies."

"And as much as _I_ like ladies," Emma said softly.

"You got it so bad," Graham said, shaking his head with a smile.

She nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I do." She smiled. "But at least now I know I have a chance."

-—-

She was sitting in her office the next morning when she heard a soft knock on the door. She looked up and saw Regina standing there.

"Hi," Emma said with a smile.

Regina let out a breath. "Hello, Miss Swan." She stood there awkwardly in the doorway.

"C'mon in," Emma said, standing up and walking to the other side of her desk before leaning back on it, her legs crossed at her ankles.

Regina took a step in, her hands still stuffed deep into the pockets of her jacket. She pointedly looked everywhere but at Emma.

"What can I do for you?" Emma prompted, feeling the tension in the other woman seep into her.

"I…" Regina paused. "I want to talk about what you… may have overheard yesterday afternoon." She took her hands out of her pockets and started to intertwine them nervously in front of her stomach. "I'm not… usually so… _blasé_ about my…" She coughed before finally looking up to meet Emma's eyes. "I just would prefer that you kept that information to yourself."

Emma nodded. "Of course. I'm not going to out you, if that's what you're worried about. Trust me, I know what it's like to be forced into saying something you're not ready to say yet." She stood up straight. "But… if you don't mind me saying—"

"I do mind, Miss Swan," Regina interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest and putting up her usual defensive mask. "My sexuality is of no concern to anyone, nor do I need any so-called advice from _you_."

Her words hit Emma hard, causing the blonde to look down and bite her lip in frustration. "Fine," she said quietly, looking back up at Regina with a hard glare. "Forgive me for trying to be a friend." She walked back around her desk and sat down roughly in her chair. "If you don't mind, I have a lot of paperwork to fill out."

Regina stood there for a moment longer, looking like she was about to say something more, before turning and leaving.

-—-

For the next two weeks, Emma avoided Regina as much as possible. She sat with her back to the microwave at lunch (when she actually chose to eat lunch in the faculty lounge), she left as soon as she could at the end of the day, and she changed the subject whenever Graham decided to bring her up.

She knew it couldn't last forever, though, and her plans were foiled at exactly 3:03 that day. Three minutes after school ended, and 27 before Emma could officially go home.

The door to her office burst open and Regina strode in, closing the door behind her.

"Why yes, do come in, make yourself at home," Emma said sarcastically.

"This needs to stop," Regina said sharply.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sorry I don't wait on you hand and foot like all the other teachers—"

"No, not that," Regina said, walking up to stand right in front of Emma's desk. "This… _thing_ between you and I."

"What, our acquaintanceship?" Emma asked. "I'm not sure we could get much lower without becoming enemies— unless that's what you want, that is."

Regina sighed. "I am sorry for what I said to you, Miss Swan. I did not mean it the way it came out. I do… like our friendship, and I wish for us to be friends again. I am simply… defensive."

"You think?"

It was Regina's turn to roll her eyes. "Miss Swan, I am trying to apologize."

Emma leaned back in her chair. "You never even call me by my first name, how are we supposed to be friends?"

Regina huffed. " _Emma_." She raised her eyebrows. "Happy?"

Emma smiled. "Yes, quite frankly I am."

"Good." There was a moment of silence between the two. "So… apology accepted?"

"I…" Emma paused. "As long as you promise not to get all weird and defensive about being gay. I know what it's like to be closeted. I just thought you could use someone who's been through it to help you out."

Regina nodded and gave an apologetic smile towards Emma. "I am sorry. I've known about my sexuality for nearly a year now, but I suppose I still worry about people's reactions."

"You don't have to worry about mine," Emma said with a comforting smile. "After all, it'd be pretty crazy for me to not accept you for who you are." She gave a small laugh.

"I suppose it would," Regina said, her smile widening. "So… you are… _gay_ gay."

Emma laughed. "Yes, I'm _gay_ gay." She gestured around her. "I mean, c'mon, I fit the best stereotype out there."

Regina smiled, but this time it didn't quite reach her eyes. "And are you… still in a relationship with Lacey?"

Emma's forehead creased. "Lacey…?" She remembered their conversation months ago. "Oh! No, no no no." She laughed. "No, that was all Ruby. She was trying to cover up the conversation we were having and that was her first thought."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "So you are not with her?"

Emma shook her head. "No."

"Good."

Emma tilted her head. "Good?"

Regina nodded. "Yes." She reached onto Emma's desk and pulled a pen out of her haphazard jar and grabbed a sticky note, scribbling something down before holding the note and the pen out to Emma.

Emma took the piece of paper and noticed it was as phone number. "What's this?"

"My number," Regina said as if it was the most obvious thing (which it technically was). She thrust the pen towards Emma again. "If you would be so kind as to write yours down for me."

"Uh— yeah, sure," Emma said, taking the pen and scrawling her own number on another sticky note before handing it to Regina. "Can I ask what for?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Regina asked. "I'm asking you on a date, Emma."

"Oh!" Emma said, startled by the revelation. "No… it wasn't obvious."

Regina tilted her head in confusion. "Oh. My bad." She straightened her posture before looking back at Emma. "Emma, would you be interested in accompanying me on a date this weekend?"

Emma smiled. "Yes, yes I would."

Regina smiled. "Good." She held up the sticky note in her hand. "I have your number, and you have mine. I will text you with the details."

"I look forward to it," Emma said with a grin.

"Good," Regina replied, suddenly looking nervous again. "Well… I will see you tomorrow." She turned and walked out of the room.

"You most certainly will," Emma said, looking down at the note cradled in her hand.

"Oh, and Miss Swan?"

Emma looked up to see Regina poking her head in the doorway. "Yeah?"

"Do try and watch where you're driving this time."


End file.
